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Chef Paul Schmidgall of Naples

Nothing brings people together like food, and if you are in the Naples area, you’ve likely seen giant pans of paella at a beach race, or poolside at a charity event, as people crowd around, bowls outstretched. Or spied the Fire and Rice tent at area farmers markets, where frequent customers know to get there early for the best parts of the paella. Chef Paul Schmidgall founded Fire and Rice (fireandrice.us) in 2011 and has been serving the Naples community since 1998. He lives with his girlfriend in Naples, but his family lives in Tennessee, a bit south of his birthplace in Illinois. We sat down with Chef Paul to talk philanthropy, Publix subs, and a guilty food pleasure sure to cool things off during the hot Naples summer.

•Inspirations: My former employer, who was a self-made success and showed me what it meant to think big. The philanthropic nature of the Naples community has shown me the importance of service to others.

•Favorite cuisine to eat: That’s an easy one — any good food. French sauces, rustic Italian pasta dishes, plain old roasted beets ... if it’s genuinely good, it’s on my list of favorites.

•Favorite dish from your childhood: The dreaded tuna casserole, but it is my go-to comfort food. Mom got it right.

•What was the first dish you mastered: Beef consomme. It sounds easy, but it takes a lot of effort to get it right.

•Celebrity (living or dead) you’d love to have dinner with: Dean Martin, because the man knew how to enjoy life.

•If I weren’t in this business, I’d be: Starring in Dollar Shave Club commercials. Or at least trying.

•Things you can’t get through the day without: My Red Wing work boots. They’re made for 13 hour stand-up workdays.

•Food aversion you can’t get over: Wasabi. I love horseradish but leave all the wasabi for my girlfriend. She loves it.

•Favorite dish on your menu (and why): Mixta paella. It brings together land and sea: one perfect pan full of chicken, sausage, saffron, rice, shrimp, mussels, and clams. Perfect to share with friends.

•What was your biggest cooking disaster: We were cooking two paellas for 75 guests at a condo building on Gulfshore Boulevard. A strong gust of wind blew over one of the paella pans midway through cooking. Once my heart started beating again, I had a member of my team run back to our kitchen where we had to borrow from the next night’s prepped ingredients. In the end, everyone ate their fill and we had a good story to tell.

•Favorite SWFL restaurant other than your own: Hob Nob has a creative menu and we’ve never been disappointed.

•Dream vacation: After watching it on television for so many years, I would love to rent an RV and follow each stage of the Tour de France.

•Age: 45

•Birthplace: Peoria, Illinois

•Culinary training: Apprenticed in a commercial kitchen in Germany while serving in the Air Force. Attended Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, where I earned my degree in Culinary Arts and Food Marketing. I continue to learn every day.

•Former gigs: Enlisted in the USAF out of high school and lived in Europe where my interest in food was sparked. The Crossroads Restaurant in Tremonton, Utah, was my first managing chef job. In 1996 I applied for and was selected to work in the hospitality suite for International Paper at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. After college, I returned home to Peoria, Illinois, and was hired as a private chef for a family. I was able to travel the world with them and they brought me to beautiful Naples in 1998. I worked for them until 2006.

•Current gig: Owner and head chef, Fire and Rice Paella (fireandrice.us), which caters special events in the Naples area and can be found in season at select farmers markets.